The One

Thanks so much for letting me guest-post during these last few weeks about IJM. I know they have just been just a glimpse of IJM’s work, but I hope they’ve provided you with really tough issues to think about (because I believe that facing reality is the first step to improving the world in which we live) as well as the belief that amongst all the horrors of the world, there is hope and life.

As I wrap up my series of guest posts about IJM, I want to share a couple of final thoughts. Working here day after day for months and years presents some challenges that I didn’t necessarily anticipate. It gets really easy and normal to get caught up in the day-to-day and forget about the people for whom the organization exists. Just like it’s easy for so many people involved in various causes to get caught up in politics, theoretical arguments and power struggles and forget the actual people for whom we are fighting.

Don’t get me wrong: IJM absolutely is focused on big-picture structural transformation, and that’s vital to keep the work we do sustainable. But, what I love about the organization is that it so often brings me back to the truth and rawness of the story about the one person. It has been amazing to me how one person’s humanity can cut through all the theoretical arguments and big idea discussion by people in power. Picture a room full of powerful people in suits arguing over the finer points of human trafficking – when should there be intervention, whose job is it, where is the money coming from, and are people even asking for help? When you bring the little girl who is raped ten times a day in a brothel into that room, suddenly the arguments seem foolish.

I’ve often heard Gary, our President and CEO, talk about how we would respond if we were present amongst all the suffering. Of course there is still a great deal of thought and preparation as to how we go about our casework, as there should be, and a good deal of waiting that goes along with that. If you look closely at IJM’s methods and work, this is obvious. But what wouldn’t we – you and I - give to restore the one person if we knew – I mean REALLY knew and really saw what they experienced. And if they were OUR family members experiencing these horrors?! I think we would stop at nothing to bring rescue and restoration.

Well, Jesus sees all of it. It makes a little more sense to me that His love was so sacrificial when you realize that He sees all the pain in the world, and is intimately close to it. He doesn’t just hear stories and know statistics. He is there and deeply loves the people who are suffering, more than we love even those closest to us.

Suddenly, my own “sacrifices” seem so small and inconsequential. What am I actually doing to alleviate suffering in the world? And is what I’m doing an afterthought once I work through all my “big” problems of the day? You know, lack of sleep, work presentations, cooking dinner, balancing the family budget. When compared to slavery, sexual violence, human exploitation and abuse of power, such problems seem just the tangential arguments that can keep us from actually doing anything useful – foolish.

Thanks again for letting me post. It has been a great blessing for me to be taken back to the heart of the stories and to the reason I love IJM so much – the people whom we serve.